Personal watercraft, known generically, as JETSKIS, a registered trademark of Kawasaki, Corporation. WAVERUNNERS, a registered trademark of Yamaha, Corporation and the like, have gained substantial popularity in the United States over the past two decades. Typically, these personal watercraft are small, accommodating only one person or, for larger models, three to four persons. Also, typically, these personal watercraft have impeller driven waterjet drives powered by gasoline engines.
Because these personal watercraft are small, and hence can not carry a large fuel supply, they have limited range. Further, in those models where the operator controls the personal watercraft from a standing position, operating the personal watercraft for extended periods of time, can be tiring.
Owners of personal watercraft, and to enjoy the recreation provided thereby, may also own a larger vessel of the type referred to as houseboats, pontoon boats, or platform boats. A houseboat has a hull or floats supporting a deck upon which are living quarters. A houseboat has a powerplant, which may be one or more outboard or inboard/outboard motors, to propel the vessel. Generally houseboats are characterized as slow crafts, particularly adapted to travel at limited speed, to a desired destination and anchor for extended periods of time for recreational purposes.
Pontoon boats, as the name implies, includes two or more pontoons which buoyantly support a deck and living quarters above the water. The pontoon boat may be propelled by one or more inboard or outboard motors at speeds exceeding those obtainable by a houseboat. Typically, the pontoons are configured to have an efficiently contoured bow to enable the pontoon boat to be propelled at speeds at or above thirty miles per hour.
A deck boat, contrarily to a houseboat or pontoon boat, has a typical boat profile including a hull, which may be a single, bi-hull or tri-hull configuration, powerplant and deck. Frequently the powerplant is an inboard/outboard engine which enables the deck boat to be propelled at speeds exceeding those obtainable by a pontoon boat. The hull, which may be fiberglass sandwiching a buoyant material, is adapted to present a deck at the boat's transom proximate the surface of the water. Deck boats are particularly adapted to tow and accommodate waterskiers.
Each of the houseboats, pontoon boats, and deck boats herein described, because of their size, accoutrements and ability to carry a large fuel supply, are adapted to be operated at extended ranges and for extended periods of time. These recreational vessels may, therefore, be piloted from a marina to a remote bay or lagoon to provide a platform for recreational activities, such as, waterskiing, swimming, fishing, and the like over an extended period of time.
As stated above, often those owning a houseboat, pontoon boat, or deck boat will also own one or more personal watercraft. It can therefore be appreciated that it would be desirable to be able to travel the great distances or to operate for the extended periods of time provided by these vessels to a remote location, anchor, and at that location, use the personal watercraft. Because of the personal watercraft's limited range, it may not be possible, without intermittent re-fueling, to pilot the personal watercraft under it's own power to the desired remote location. Furthermore, as described above, operation of the personal watercraft for the extended time necessary to reach the remote location, may result in discomfort to the operator.
Prior devices and methods for transporting one or more personal watercraft via a larger vessel have proven unsatisfactory. One method known, is to provide a davit on the vessel deck to hoist each of the personal watercraft from the water onto the deck for transportation by the vessel. These davits are expensive and may require retrofitting of the vessel to provide support therefor. Further, placing the personal watercraft, each of which may weigh several hundred pounds, on the vessel's deck, may cause the vessel to list or pitch effecting the hull and power plant profiles presented at the water. The alteration of the profile presented can rob the vessel of speed, maneuverability and range. Still a further drawback for this system is that, the hoisting of several hundred pounds, via the davit, can create safety risks and typically requires several persons to hoist and guide the transfer of the personal watercraft between the vessel's deck and the water. Still further, the location of the personal watercraft on the deck occupies what otherwise would be useable space affecting the comfort of the vessel's passengers during the voyage to the desired location.
Towing the personal watercraft behind the vessel is also unsatisfactory in that certain personal watercraft are, when not under power, unstable. These craft would keel over under tow, swamping the craft and its engine compartment. For those craft which are not unstable, towing presents problems relating to maneuvering in that the towed craft may collide with the vessel. Towing more than one craft also presents a problem of the craft colliding with each other. Further, at higher speeds, towed craft may become swamped in the wash of the vessel. Still further, when the craft are towed, they remain completely in the water for the duration of the operation of the vessel, which for an extended recreational voyage, may be a week or more. This tends to accelerate corrosion and the build-up of deposits from the water, chemical and biological, on the hull and other submerged components of the craft which affect performance, maintenance and the service life of the craft.